Why Jim Crane Could Become Baseball's Most Controversial Owner

Miller said that Crane showed strong, direct resolve to meet challenges out of these two cases.

Why Crane’s Past Actually Could Bode Well for the Astros

One would be hard pressed to find a more controversial ownership background for one coming into MLB than Jim Crane, regardless of the workforce size. After all, Crane's company size is not the largest of business owners in the league. Indeed, the McLane Group where Drayton McLane is Chairman is larger, and has avoided such incidents. The issue of race, especially in Texas, is a hot-button issue, and certainly war profiteering is something most all American’s frown upon.

But, in a case of the past possibly being a cleansing agent for the future, with so many eyes focused on Crane due to his past dealings, it’s likely that he will work extra hard to distance himself from those unattractive elements with the Astros.

Quite simply, the Astros are not a global corporation – the size of the staff is fractional by comparison. The league is held up each year as having a high level of women and minorities at the executive levels of not only the clubs, but at the league level. In that, Crane is likely to be made to understand the unwritten law that being part of Major League Baseball means playing along with that dynamic.

And finally, while Crane may be the head of the Astros at some stage, ultimately, he will simply be one of 29 other owners lead by the Commissioner/CEO of the league in Bud Selig. He will not be at the top of the heap, but rather need to work toward pushing the league’s agenda forward. Crane will be an extremely visible man in Houston, and one of 30 cogs in MLB’s pecking order.

As to when, or if, Jim Crane is approved as the new owner of the Houston Astros, league sources indicate that the vote will likely take place as part of the quarterly owners meetings in August. Final approval requires 75 percent of the league’s 30 owners to agree with the sale to complete the transfer. It seems likely that he will be approved, but given his background, he shouldn’t expect it to be a clean slide to home plate. There will likely be questions about his background. There will likely be comments made. And there will surely be many watching him afterwards, should Jim Crane be approved as the new owner of the Houston Astros. Given his past, why wouldn’t there be?